Chapter 3
1773 Words
After delivering the third and fourth containers on the ferryboat, Bulldog called Joe to let him know they had arrived on Starlings Island. It is me Bulldog on the CB radio, breaker, breaker Joe. Joe Louis noticed the CB signal. Hello, bulldog, everything is fine, Joe replied. I am back. I am here in Virginia Port, watching the containers go to Starlings Island. The CB clicked; just thought I would let you know.
“I am traveling South on I-95 to "Flow Town" Florence, South Carolina,” Joe responded to me, “Watch it out there are a lot of bears out there (law enforcement, helicopters, and hiding in the bushes) I noticed, beware, Eskimo Joe, okay Bulldog. I have an empty trailer on my rig if I stay within the speed limit. Let us talk later. I should be okay. It is okay, Bulldog, see you later and stay safe. Four more to go…
Within a few hours of the CB talks ending. A red and blue light appears out of nowhere, and Joe notices a State Highway Patrol following him.
No way, what did I do? he asked himself. His ears were tuned to the accents he knew would be present in South Carolina.
In response, he shifted down. He pulled over on the side of the highway. Slowly, the highway patrol car opened. I titled a trooper hat to the left, and there was also the walk.
“How are you doing, son?” he asked.
“I am doing well,” Joe said.
“Welcome to The Carolinas. I am not on the Welcoming Committee, but I want to welcome you here, son.”
That"s right son, you want to know why I stopped you.”
Joe said, "Yes, officer. It seemed to me that I was driving within the speed limit.”
He paused for a moment, “This is just one of those routine traffic stops on Interstate 95 South... Hey, what"s your name, son?”
My name is Joe. I wish you a safe trip.” "I"ve noticed your trucks a few times on I-95 here," the officer said as he turned to walk away. After that, he wished Joe a good day.
While the highway patrol was walking away, the trooper came back to his truck window and said, "Said Joe, if the Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise."
Joe stared at him, puzzled. Then he replied, "Okay, Sir."
After that, he walked away. In the meantime, Joe awaited the highway patrol to jump in his car. It seemed to take forever. He turned back on his 18-wheeler and started driving down I-95 and then clicked the CB Bulldog, Hello Bulldog, come on. Static sounds are heard, followed by a voice.
Hello Joe, I just had a bear pull me over here. He said, ‘If the Lords are willing and the creek doesn’t rise.’ What does that mean?” The CB radio clicked.
Bulldog knew right away he was from Georgia. He understood the meaning of the terms, “It means people will do what they say they will do "until" something stops them.”
This was a warning to Joe.
This is a Carolina saying. In Georgia, we don’t say that. Joe liked to talk and find out things... He had a Parrot ornament dangling over his rearview mirror with the initials W.S. OKAY, thanks, bulldog. I will buzz you back if we need to change our plans or reroute our trip.
Joe repeated the saying a third time. "If the lords will" and the creek doesn"t rise, he said aloud to himself.
Sundara Dazet and Marc Dazet were packing for a weekend trip to Starlings Island with their daughter Laura. Marc kept the spaceship blueprints in a locked briefcase, and he remembered the Earth Surveillance Unit had told him to bring their device. As he was leaving, he called his managing editor, Amelia to let her know where he was located.
They like this part of Virginia. It differed from the Hampton Roads area, quieter and more laid back. Sundara was worrying about the unreachable contact from Andromeda Galaxy lately; she wondered if anything was wrong.
The fact that she planned to go home was kept a secret from everyone else. Her mission continues to be the extraction of water from the earth. She was unaware that another planet also had a similar mission.
Spacecraft dynamics was something Marc wanted to research further. As Marc pondered the word “Trade” he thought of something throughout history. Before they left on the trip, he thought to himself. In his condominium, materials came from everywhere and shaped history. From the US, overseas. Using his computer, he searched for the word. Trade.
“Trade” Trade. Throughout history, people have traveled to other lands and taught others about their ways from one culture to the next. By thinking this way, Marc regarded planets and galaxies from a distance. Every day, he will use toothbrushes, stoves, and mirrors without knowing who invented them.
From one culture to another, theories passed from one land to another, as people traveled and taught each other their ways. By thinking about planets and galaxies from a distance, Marc considered the surrounding items.
His feeling was that this would be the same in the future. He has learned so much from Sundara who comes from another planet. She has also learned a lot from being here on earth. Imagine trade in the future when different planets are connected, Marc speculated.
Who taught the Greeks? Egypt, I mean? No Greece? In his mind, he went back and forth about who did what. In the past, traders helped shape many worlds.
Several cities are part of the world, according to the article he read. It is not just one culture. Upon entering his office, Sundara asked how he was doing. I enjoy reading about trade and traders in history. Our planet has a lot of history, his wife spoke back. You may not be familiar with many of the planets we learn about.
This phenomenon is quite common when you reach the outer reaches of the universe. Marc said. Yes, honey... However, there are new places in the stars that are starting, and they have original ideas and rules of trading. Some are nice, while others are aggressive.
Marc looks at his phone and sees a text from Brent. I put a gate at the entrance to the island; he said. For security reasons, like our home in Seabrook"s NH.
Marc texts Brent back from Virginia to Virginia. Yes, we cannot wait to meet your family this weekend. I"ll bring "The Paperwork" Brent knew what he was talking about.
In the middle of texting, Marc kisses his wife. "I love you," he whispered, and she stared at him for a few minutes. She then made the room cold for a few minutes, then warm again in half a second, and he knew she spoke back saying nothing... To say I love you.
I will give you the code when you get closer to the island,” Brent explained in text words that four containers have been delivered here on the island, all of which are safe and sound.
“I do not know what type of material is inside the cargo.”
The reporter texted back, saying, "OMG, I can imagine what"s in those."
“I have another surprise in store for you when you get here. You"ll see. I will see you this weekend.” The text from Brent Brooks has stopped.
Detective Thomas Reilly. Zoe, Reilly"s friend, who did the secret research on the glow substance, was in Boston for a visit to the Lab. Besides wearing glasses, she worked for the police department in the city for a long time.
Reilly came down to talk privately with her... Reilly knocked on the lab door…
“Please come in and close and lock the door behind you. What I am about to say must remain private.”
He said, "Sure, what you find."
“Where did you find the glow substance?” Zoe asked.
“It came from a hotel. In the early days of my investigation into the Brent Brooks twin k********g case.”
"What you have is not from earth. I"ve seen something like this before at a company I worked for. When I saw it again, it was gone... Zoe, where you worked, was it in Florida?”
"Yes, I was working for a company called Rollins, and Rollins companies did a variety of things from Florida. There isn"t much information about them.”
“This is where I saw this substance before, Detective Reilly... I was there only a few weeks when I was out there... Many people work for them but don"t know what they did for a living. Do you know what I mean?”
“It is difficult for me to even remember their address if they had one at all.” She laughs quietly to herself. Detective Reilly wondered, “Do you know who hired you to work there for a few weeks?”
She spoke. “Yes, and I still have their phone number. Could you ask them for a favor by calling them?”
“Favor?” As she posed in a how stance.
Zoe asked, “Can you tell me what kind of favor I am going to ask for?”
"The substance they know about is in our possession. Could we call them and ask them to return this glow substance to its rightful owner?”
Zoe said, “They would want it back if they knew we had it. I"ll see what I can do.”
“Are you planning to spend some time in Boston?”
“I will stay the weekend to find out if we can visit this location in Florida. I"ve been working on this case for a while now, and it looks like I might get somewhere. The Brooks family has their son back.”
The detective paced the room.
"There was more than meets the eye here, Zoe.”
“I"ll see what I can do. If you let me know the hotel"s number and room number, I"ll call you as soon as I get somewhere.”
Detective Reilly. If I tell them this, they may come after us. We work for law enforcement.”
“I"m sure everything will turn out fine. Talk to you later, Zoe.”
Detective Thomas Reilly wrote Rollins and Rollins and the Sunshine State in a notepad as he walked out of the lab.
- Writer
